The invention pertains to the field of application programs for monitoring and managing complex systems with many variables having values which vary in real time. More specifically, the invention pertains to the field of software systems which permit the user to create custom active documents with the layout, look and content defined by the user and displayed on a video display. Changes in the values of real time data which are included in the active document defined by the user are reflected immediately on the display.
In the management of complex systems such as the financial community, airplanes, semiconductor fabrication processes, etc. it is often useful for a user such as a financial trader to be able to look at only some subset of the total data available to him or her or to arrange the available data in a style which best suits the user's management and/or analysis style. In the prior art for the financial community, the Quotron product fills some portion of this need, but is inadequate in many respects. The Quotron product has a video display where three basic areas are available for customization by the user. One area is reserved for stock quotes where individual stock prices are displayed in a block. The user can customize to the extent of defining which of the many stocks for which quotes are desired. The current price of the stock is then displayed in each block or window devoted to that stock by network access of a service that provides stock quotes. Changes in the stock price are reflected on the display when they occur. Another area of the display is reserved for so-called "tickers", i.e., streams of trade data for various stocks defined by the user with the stream for all the trade data moving across a common window. A third area of the display is reserved for a market monitor display where a plurality of stock prices are displayed as a group in a single window. With the content of the group, i.e., the stock prices selected for display selected by the user.
The Quotron product is inadequate in many respects. For example, it is useful for a user to be able to be able to define a multi-sheet, completely custom document with whatever data he or she desires on each sheet arranged in whatever groupings, locations, format, color, font, pen desired with changes in real time data being reflected immediately on the display. Further, it is useful for the user to be able to set upper and/or lower alarm limits for any or all real time data displayed on any sheet and to define scripts of actions to take if the value of the real time data exceeds these limits. Further, it is useful to be able to publish any or all the data shown on any sheet of the active document on a network to which other users and/or automated processes are coupled via their respective hosts. Finally, it is useful to be able for a user to define and layout certain areas which will appear on all sheets such as one to four margins, headers or footers with text, a common "button" or a set of buttons, i.e., display objects with user programmable text labels and a "push" operation with a programmable action which occurs every time upon a " push" of the button such as by selection of the button with a mouse, touch screen, voice designation or by the keyboard etc.